Kerry Carpenter hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning as the host Detroit Tigers downed the Minnesota Twins 6-3 on Monday night.
Wenceel Perez also hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, while Dillon Dingler delivered a solo shot in the opener of a three-game series.
Ryan Jeffers, Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner hit solo home runs for the Twins.
Detroit starter Casey Mize (10-4) gave up the homers but allowed only one other hit and walked none in six innings. Kyle Finnegan struck out two in the ninth while recording his 22nd save of the year and second since being acquired by the Tigers last week.
Travis Adams, making his first major league start after four relief appearances, held the Tigers to two runs and four hits while striking out seven in five innings.
Jeffers got the Twins on the board with two outs in the first inning with his 420-foot blast over the center-field wall.
Adams cruised through the first four innings, allowing only an infield single to Zach McKinstry. Larnach made it 2-0 when he clobbered an 0-2 splitter from Mize over the right-field wall in the fifth.
In the bottom of the inning, Detroit knotted the score. Spencer Torkelson had a one-out single before Perez golfed an Adams slider over the fence in right-center field.
Following a double play, Wallner gave Minnesota a 3-2 edge in the sixth by whacking a 1-1 splitter to center for a home run.
That lead was short-lived as the Tigers scored three runs off Noah Davis (0-2) during the home half of the inning.
Back-to-back singles from Javier Baez and Colt Keith sparked the rally. Baez then scored on Gleyber Torres’ fielder’s choice grounder, and Carpenter drove a sinker 437 feet over the right-field fence.
Detroit reliever Brant Hunter hit two batters in the seventh, but the Twins left the runners stranded.
Dingler extended the Tigers’ lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the inning when he lined an Erasmo Ramirez offering just inside the left-field foul pole.
–Field Level Media
